Books like 'The Last Innocent Hour'
Readers who enjoyed The Last Innocent Hour by Margot Abbott also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical dark romance 20th century war m-f friends to lovers men in uniform
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The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read .Renowned hip-hop artist, writer, and activist Sister Souljah brings the streets of New York to life in a powerful and utterly unforgettable first novel.I came busting into the world during one of New York's worst snowstorms, so my mother named me Winter... -
Wolves vs. Hearts by Anna Green
The second volume of The Heart Rate of a Mouse trilogy.A new band, a new city, and new lover - Ryan dusts himself off and starts again, but the god-like status that his former band's tragic end has given him isn't as easy to shake off. As he should be focusing on making a comeback with his new band, he runs into the one person he hasn't been able to forget... -
Special Forces: Soldiers - Director's Cut by Aleksandr Voinov, Marquesate
Special Forces - Soldiers - 'Director's Cut' is free to download from Aleksandr Voinov's website below:Special Forces is the story of a Scottish SAS soldier and a Soviet spetsnaz soldier. Two enemies who meet in the line of duty during the early days of the Soviet Union's last war in Afghanistan. Behind enemy lines respect and finally love grow ... but that's only the official version... -
Unhinge the Universe by Aleksandr Voinov, L.A. Witt
December 1944, the Battle of the Bulge SS Lieutenant Hagen Friedrichs is the sole survivor of a party sent to retrieve his brother—and the highly sensitive information he’s carrying—from behind enemy lines. But his daring rescue attempt fails, and Hagen becomes the prisoner. Allied command has ordered Captain John Nicholls to extract critical intelligence from their new Nazi POW... -
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A Shot in the Dark by Addison Cain
Matthew is determined to find his run-away sweetheart. And then he’s going to marry her. Well, that is, if he can get her to hear him out before rival gangster, Tommy Kennedy, woos her into believing that Chicago power and prestige are better than quite towns and true love. And if she won’t listen, then he’ll just have to tie her up and drag her home. Part 2 of the A Trick of the Light duet...Categorized as:
20th century friends to lovers humor historical sassy heroine strong heroine tortured heroine dark -
The Empty Hearth by Kitty Neale
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsDad loves Mum - loves her to the point of obsession. He's jealous when she shows us any affection.' Set in Battersea in the Fifties and Sixties, the Pratchett family have to contend with coalman Alfie Pratchett's obsessive jealousy. Although Alfie is a bully, his two teenage children, John and Millie, have learned to dodge him and his moods... -
The Bell in the Fog by Lev A.C. Rosen
The Bell in the Fog, a dazzling historical mystery by Lev AC Rosen, asks—once you have finally found a family, how far would you go to prove yourself to them?San Francisco, 1952. Detective Evander “Andy” Mills has started a new life for himself as a private detective—but his business hasn’t exactly taken off... -
Unfortunately Francine by Joan Vassar
Georgia, 1995–A gentle push from her sister causes Francine Adams to agree to one date with the handsome, Jalal Dorsey. When his ex-girlfriend makes an appearance, a perfect evening takes a turn for the worse. Blinded by humiliation and desperate to put distance between herself and the drama, Francine flees the upscale eatery...Categorized as:
m-f 20th century african-american suspense forbidden love dark black-mc length-medium -
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Set in the Soviet Union in 1953, this stellar debut from British author Smith offers appealing characters, a strong plot and authentic period detail... -
A Rogue to Remember by Chasity Bowlin
Welcome to Book One in "The Hellion Club", the nickname for the Darrow School, where miscreant noblemen send their illegitimate daughters to keep them out of sight, out of mind, and to make them employable...Categorized as:
m-f regency historical victorian forced proximity marriage of convenience mystery suspense -
Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 57 ratingsFrom the internationally bestselling author of Kane and Abel and A Prisoner of Birth comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph. The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war... -
Wrecked by J.B. Salsbury
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsWhen you can't trust yourself, how can you ask anyone else to? It's been months since Aden Colt left the Army, and still the memories haunt him. When he moved into a tiny boat off the California coast, he thought he'd found the perfect place to escape life. Then Sawyer shows up and turns his simple life upside down... -
The Devil in the Duke: A Revelry’s Tempest Novel by K.J. Jackson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA man accustomed to hiding secrets. A woman with a lost past. Love that cannot be denied. A man accustomed to hiding secrets. His dark silver eyes are haunted, and for good reason. Logan Lipinstein lost his wife years ago in the war and has been a living shell of a man ever since, attempting to atone for past sins. Until one fateful day, when she walks past him carrying a basket of bread...Categorized as:
friends to lovers regency historical victorian second chances tortured heroine tortured hero abuse -
Mob Boss Christmas: The Pregnancy by Mallory Monroe
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWhen gorgeous tough guy Reno Gabrini finds out that his lady love Katrina is pregnant, he becomes a nervous wreck. He does everything in his power to protect her from forces real and imagined, and to make her pregnancy move along as smoothly as possible. Trina, in turn, does everything in her power to deal with his controlling ways... -
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Suicide Note by Teresa Mummert
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsSometimes in life it feels like everything that can go wrong does, but everything happens for a reason. A relationship crumbles so someone else can mend the pieces of your broken heart. A change of plans can lead you to something you didn't even know you were missing. We help others and discover that it was us who needed to be helped all along... -
Le Moulin du loup by Marie-Bernadette Dupuy
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCharente, 1897. Claire vit heureuse avec sa famille et le loup qu'elle a recueilli, dans le moulin transformé par son père, Colin, en fabrique de papier. Mais les affaires sont mauvaises et ce dernier doit céder à un terrible marché : il promet la main de sa fille à Frédéric Giraud, fils d'un riche voisin, contre un prêt inespéré...Categorized as:
war men in uniform historical virgin heroine victorian strong heroine age difference military -
Hidden Away by J.W. Kilhey
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFranklin D. Roosevelt said, “No man and no force can abolish memory.” John Oakes and Kurt Fournier are living proof of the truth behind those words. Since the horrors of the Second World War, John and Kurt have been trudging through existence, bleeding from wounds that have never healed... -
Perfect Mistake Book Two by Amber Nicole
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTrapped on an island, you would think that's the worst thing to find out... Wrong. Now I'm carrying a psychopaths baby. One I dreamed of having before, now I pray the same thing from my past comes to fruition again. Rexley is not meant to be a father. He may be the monster of my nightmares, but the only way to survive is to let my demons out to play, too... -
Racing for the Sun by Amy Lane
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 22 ratings"I'll do anything." Staff Sergeant Jasper "Ace" Atchison takes one look at Private Sonny Daye and knows that every word on paper about him is pure, unadulterated bullshit. But Sonny is desperate, and although Ace isn't going to take him up on his offer of "anything," that doesn't mean he isn't tempted... -
Wicked Hunt by Cari Silverwood
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThis book is part of a dark kinky fiction trilogy and may disturb some readers. The full warning is at the bottom. This is not a standalone read.What happens when the victim becomes the killer?Killing isn’t right, but it's better than the wrong people being dead.That’s what Zorie tells herself, until the day she makes a mistake and the hunter becomes the hunted... -
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Suzanne Brockmann
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsSomething Worth Fighting For As Christmastime settled quietly over the countryside, Navy SEAL William "Crash" Hawken was faced with a deadly conspiracy. And he had only one person to turn to -- the caring passionate Nell Burns... -
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel presents with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha... -
Decision at Delphi by Helen MacInnes
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsKenneth Strang sets out for Sicily and Greece on a seemingly innocent, though fascinating, magazine assignment. But even before his ship sails from New York, the atmosphere becomes charged with sinister omens. In the course of the voyage one mysterious event follows another... -
The Laughing Cavalier (The Scarlet Pimpernel (chronological order) #0.4) by Emmuska Orczy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThis 1913 adventure tale, The Laughing Cavalier, centres on Percy Blakeney, a foreign adventurer and the progenitor of Baroness Orczy's well-known figure, the Scarlet Pimpernel. Frans Hals' artwork The Laughing Cavalier served as the model for a section of the story, which takes place in Holland between 1623 and 1624... -
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In a Shallow Grave by James Purdy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsGarnet Montrose returns home from Vietnam to small-town Virginia with injuries so terrible that people become ill at the sight of him. Seeking assistance and companionship in his isolation, Garnet hires two young male caretakers, Quintus and Daventry... -
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 38 ratings"Red Harvest" is a novel by Dashiell Hammett, first published in 1929. It is considered one of the seminal works of hard-boiled detective fiction. The story is set in the fictional town of Personville, often referred to as "Poisonville." The novel follows an unnamed detective, known as the Continental Op, who is hired to clean up the corruption and violence that has taken over the town... -
Love Her Madly by Jessica Ruben
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsFrom International Bestselling author Jessica Ruben comes a passionate romance. From India to Iran and New York City, buckle up for a journey you won’t forget.Darius is a man with power and control.As a child in the Mumbai slums, living among lethal street gangs, all he cared about was his safety and where he would find his next meal... -
Veils of Silk by Mary Jo Putney
Gaunt and wearing an eye patch, Major Ian Cameron returns to India after being freed from horrendous captivity in Central Asia. Thoughts of his beautiful fiancée helped him survive his imprisonment, but much can happen when a man has supposedly been dead for two years, and his return brings him face to face with how much he has lost...Categorized as:
friends to lovers men in uniform m-f regency historical victorian tortured hero military -
The Price of Desire (Lady Rivendale's Connections, Book Four): Regency Romance by Jo Goodman
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsForbidden Desires and a Hidden Past Collide in The Price of Desire, by Jo Goodman a Historical Regency Romance from Jo GoodmanNo stranger to society's scandalous whispers, Griffin Wright-Jones, Viscount Breckenridge, operates a gaming hell teeming with temptation—a sanctuary for those eager to test their luck... -
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 70 ratingsSam Spade is hired by the fragrant Miss Wonderley to track down her sister, who has eloped with a louse called Floyd Thursby... -
Some Do Not... by Ford Madox Ford
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsChristopher Tietjens, a brilliant, unconventional mathematician, is married to the dazzling yet unfaithful Sylvia, when, during a turbulent weekend, he meets a young Suffragette by the name of Valentine Wannop. Christopher and Valentine are on the verge of becoming lovers until he must return to his World War I regiment... -
Gabriel's Woman by Robin Schone
In the erotic tour de force The Lover, readers met not only brooding, passionate Michel des Anges, but his lifelong friend―the mysterious Gabriel, a man with a past as dark as the London night. Now, renowned author Robin Schone explores one of her most talked-about characters in a novel that reveals the blackest secrets of a man's soul...and the explosive heart of a woman's desire... -
Blood Red Roses by Katherine Deauxville
Fulk de Jobourgh is a knight of the court of King William, commanded to oversee the lands of a noble who was hanged for treason. He is also instructed to marry the dead traitors rebellious daughter and ensure her loyalty to the king. He brings her to the altar, and to his bed, before galloping off once again to command in the Kings war...Categorized as:
m-f war historical medieval cruel hero from hate to love strong heroine virgin heroine -
Test of Faith by Aleksandr Voinov, Raev Gray
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsJuly, 1187: Saladin has defeated the Crusader army at The Horns of Hattin. While hundreds of his comrades have perished in the battle, Thierry de la Tour Rouge, a Frank and Templar Knight, has survived only to be taken prisoner by the Saracens... -
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Barren Ground by Ellen Glasgow
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEllen Anderson Gholson Glasgow's novel, Barren Ground, explores the complexities of love, marriage, and societal expectations in the post-Civil War South. Glasgow's writing style expertly conveys the emotional turmoil of her characters while also providing a vivid portrait of the setting and time period... -
The Spy and His Boy by Lyn Gala
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDear Author,The Dom is old French aristocracy, the sub the son of a German tycoon. Very young, they met at a university and discovered their sexuality together and played, what they didn’t know then was BDSM. They were separated during the long war where they both grew up and did their duty in different ways.At their reunion they almost killed each other... -
The Portrait by Megan Chance
The reigning master of the New York art world, Jonas Whitaker was brilliant and compelling, a man of dark passions and uncontrollable emotions. Terrified of his own dangerous nature, and scarred by the horror of his past, he hid behind his talent in a world of glittering emptiness--until Imogene Carter pushed her way into his life... -
The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 34 ratings"The Dain Curse" is a novel by Dashiell Hammett, first published in 1929. It is a compelling work of detective fiction that showcases Hammett's signature hard-boiled style. The story follows the adventures of an unnamed private detective, often referred to as the Continental Op... -
Scandal by Carolyn Jewel
From an author known for her "pulse-pounding action, well-drawn characters, and sexy romance",* comes the tale of a proper young widow and the rake who is out to steal her heart... The Earl of Banallt is no stranger to scandal. But when he meets Sophie Evans, the young wife of a fellow libertine, even he is shocked by his reaction... -
The Ballroom by Anna Hope
From the internationally acclaimed author of Wake comes a haunting story of love, insanity, and revolution set at the brink of the Great War.Yorkshire, England, 1911: After a moment of defiance at the factory where she has worked since she was a child, Ella Fay finds herself an unwilling patient at the Sharston Asylum...Categorized as:
20th century historical mental illness contemporary dark length-medium open-door audiobook -
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 69 ratings"The Sound and the Fury" is a novel by William Faulkner, first published in 1929. It is considered one of Faulkner's masterpieces and a classic of American literature. The novel is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, and revolves around the decline of the Compson family, a once-prominent Southern family... -
Walking on Glass by Iain Banks
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 29 ratings'Her eyes were black, wide as though with some sustained surprise, the skin from their outer corners to her small ears taut. Her lips were pale, and nearly too full for her small mouth, like something bled but bruised. He had never seen anyone or anything quite so beautiful in his life.' Graham Park is in love. But Sara Fitch is an enigma to him, a creature of almost perverse mystery... -
For Such a Time by Kate Breslin
In 1944, blonde and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller... -
Dragonwyck by Anya Seton
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsA novel of seduction, mystery, and danger set in New York’s Hudson Valley in the nineteenth century, by the author of Foxfire. There was, on the Hudson, a way of life such as this, and there was a house not unlike Dragonwyck . . . In the spring of 1844, the Wells family receives a letter from a distant relative, the wealthy landowner Nicholas Van Ryn... -
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The Saxon Outlaw's Revenge by Elisabeth Hobbes
At the mercy of her enemy! Abducted by Saxon outlaws, Constance Arnaud comes face-to-face with Aelric, a Saxon boy she once loved. He's now her enemy, but Constance must reach out to this rebel and persuade him to save her life as she once saved his… Aelric is determined to seek vengeance on the Normans who destroyed his family. Believing Constance deserted him, he can never trust her again... -
In the Shadow of Lakecrest by Elizabeth Blackwell
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsThe year is 1928. Kate Moore is looking for a way out of the poverty and violence of her childhood. When a chance encounter on a transatlantic ocean liner brings her face-to-face with the handsome heir to a Chicago fortune, she thinks she may have found her escape—as long as she can keep her past concealed... -
An Indecent Obsession by Colleen McCullough
Rated: 3.60 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsDutiful and disciplined Sister Honour Langtry has sole charge of Ward X of a military hospital in the Pacific, caring for soldiers who are battle fatigued. The arrival of Sergeant Michael Wilson transforms the ward into a pressure cooker of emotion as Sister Honour is torn between duty and love... -
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
Rated: 3.65 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsNow hailed as an American classic, Tropic of Cancer , Henry Miller’s masterpiece, was banned as obscene in this country for twenty-seven years after its first publication in Paris in 1934... -
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
Rated: 3.66 of 5 stars · 78 ratingsFrom New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives... -
Wonderland by Stacey D'Erasmo
Rated: 3.09 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAn NPR Best Book of 2014A Time Top Ten Fiction Book of 2014A New York Times Book Review Editors’ ChoiceA BBC Top Ten Book of 2014"Exquisite...As inspiring in its way as Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids ." — Los Angeles Times “Briskly addictive . . . Told in the voice of a female rock Ulysses.” — O, the Oprah Magazine “Marvelous . .
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